A Vow to the Sun
Short version: A story where a bother realizes he has in fact much to lose in the world were monsters poured out of a gate. What if mana wasn't a friend but an enemy?Long version:In the beginning, the world felt like a storm, heavy and relentless, with every step sinking deeper into the mud of grief. The soul, once burning bright, flickered weakly, its fire smothered by the weight of unspoken burdens. It was a quiet surrender, each moment weighed down by invisible chains. The heart, broken and bruised, struggled to hold what was already lost.But with time, the storm didn't cease-it softened. The heavy fog lifted just enough for light to break through, fragile but present. Each small step forward became a quiet defiance, a refusal to be consumed by the darkness. The cracks in the soul didn't vanish, but they no longer felt like prison bars. Slowly, growth emerged, like the first shoots of spring breaking through cold, barren soil. The storm was still there, but the sun, though distant, began to rise again.…